Hey folks, it’s a late on a Sunday night (for me) but I just thought you would want to know that I touched base a moment ago with Oaks Christian’s star running back Malcolm Jones, and he said he liked Stanford a lot on his recruiting visit this past weekend but he did not commit.

Kevin Ervin, a running back for Poly High of Sun Valley, came through with the performance of a lifetime Friday, rushing for 409 yards and six touchdowns on 20 carries in a 58-27 victory at Granada Hills.

No City Section player from the San Fernando Valley has ever rushed for more yards in one game, according to the Cal-Hi Sports record book. The City Section record is 475 yards by Sherman Austin of Lincoln of L.A. (vs. Venice, 1997).

“It feels good, but I have to give the credit to my linemen and my coaching staff. They prepared us,” Ervin said. “I’m not tired, but I’m a little sore.”

Ervin, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound junior, scored on runs of 6, 1, 85, 10, 1 and 86 yards, and he also scored on a two-point conversion run. In three games, he has rushed for 727 yards on 49 carries – an average of 14.8 yards – and 12 touchdowns.

Ervin broke Jermaine Pledger’s 1990 school record of 328 yards in one game.

“Kevin was nothing less than amazing. He wanted the ball really bad,” Poly coach Scott Faer said. “We kept running the same play, a power pitch, and we had some great blocking from the Garcia brothers, Alberto and Gerardo.”

Injury-strapped Birmingham of Lake Balboa has won four City Section titles over the past six seasons but is 0-4, and its next two opponents, Dorsey of L.A. and El Camino Real of Woodland Hills, are 3-0.

First-year coach Jim Rose is still waiting for his first victory, but former coach Ed Croson, who is 3-0 at Chaminade of West Hills this season, says not to worry.

“Birmingham is trying, but sometimes transitions are not easy. They have some holes to fill this season,” Croson said. “I still think they’re going to do a good job. They’ve just been playing some great teams. One year, we started 1-4 at Birmingham and ended up winning the City championship, so it’s not time to throw the dirt on them yet.”

The good news for Birmingham is USC-bound running back Trajuan Briggs, who has yet to play because of a broken ankle, is slated to have his cast removed Monday.

“We still don’t know when I’ll be back. It all depends on the therapy,” Briggs said.

Here’s something you don’t see every day: DeAndre Roberts, a top defensive lineman at Sylmar, was so overcome by smoke from the stadium barbeque Friday at El Camino Real in Woodland Hills that he couldn’t breathe properly and was taken by ambulance to the hospital in the third quarter of a 27-0 loss.

“DeAndre has a slight asthma problem, and the smoke was just too heavy for him,” Sylmar coach London Woodfin said. “I guess the smoke activated his asthma, and he couldn’t breathe.”

After kicking seven field goals in each of his first two years, Matt Goudis of Chaminade is having another good year. In three games, the junior has four field goals in five attempts, and he is 11 of 11 on extra points.
— Gerry Gittelson

After losing 44-0 to Upland on Friday, Eastside of Lancaster should be much improved this week because three starters are expected back. Quarterback Brent Jones missed the game for disciplinary reasons, and running back DaJohn Gaines and offensive lineman Leo Gak are recovering from ankle injuries.

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